Jermaine Jenas has said Harry Winks “must play” for Tottenham against Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Winks hasn’t featured since the quarter-final first leg against Manchester City when he suffered a groin injury.
The 23-year-old has since undergone surgery and missed the remainder of the season while going through rehabilitation.
But he has now returned to training and is expected to be in the squad for Saturday’s final in Madrid.
The question is: will Winks be in the starting line-up or on the bench against Liverpool?
In his column for the Daily Mail, Jenas made a case for Winks to be included in the starting line-up because of the attribute he brings to the squad that no other Spurs midfielder does.
Jenas also noted that Roberto Firmino, who has also been struggling with injuries, must start for Liverpool.
“The decisions on Harry Winks and Roberto Firmino are simpler: both must play,” Jenas wrote. “Spurs don’t have any other midfielder who covers the ground like Winks.
“There is a tactical need for his mobility. In the Premier League, 42 per cent of Liverpool’s assists have come from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson at full-back. So Spurs will have to ask Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier to play aggressively high up the pitch, as they did in the September meeting between the sides even though they lost, and keep Alexander-Arnold and Robertson occupied. That will leave Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld to deal with Liverpool’s front three – so they will need help from Winks and Moussa Sissoko in midfield.”
Winks’ inclusion in midfield next to Moussa Sissoko will mean there is only room for four attacking players.
Ultimately, Mauricio Pochettino will have to leave one of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min or Lucas Moura on the bench – I don’t envy him.
Of course Winks has to play. We have been terrible in the league without him (and were without him in the last 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, and had Vorm in goal for the first 2-1 defeat). I think the real question for me is fitting in Lamela, I think he really throws organised teams off their rhythm with his industriousness and split second intelligence, he scored in our first 2-1 loss to liverpool of the season were he was a late sub, and he should have been awarded an equalising penalty. The question with Lamela though is who do you drop to fit him in? Liverpool seem to be able to contain Son quite successfully but he is such a goal threat, Lucas not so easily contained by Liverpool.
The other hard question is Trippier or Aurier, Liverpool have pace and Trippier does not, Aurier looks a rhythm player who hasn’t had game time in the run up to this match. If we played a back 3, could we play Lucas and Rose as wing backs?
With this final I just hope we show our best, I hope we don’t lose to silly mistakes or bad reffing decisions. If we show our best then I can take the result, win or lose, but if we show our best we will likely win. COYS
All’s OK with Spurs.
I have been a Spurs fan since the 60’s.
In our recent games we have concerned goals from corners n have to rectify the situation.
Best of luck.